


When You Need Me  The Most

by TheCaptain (BlueElectricFish)



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, M/M, Reincarnation, Self Harm, Suicide Attempt, sort of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 19:39:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueElectricFish/pseuds/TheCaptain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin decides he's had enough. Arthur wakes up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When You Need Me  The Most

**Author's Note:**

> This is not a good piece of work, where do I find a beta?

Merlin’s head rested in the grass, his arm in the Lake of Avalon, and his gaze on the sky as his blood ran smoothly into the water. The red liquid clouded and mixed with the water and dirt from the bottom that had been disturbed by the movement. In the distance, as if blocked by pillows, he heard shouting. And, as the stars faded into blackness and his ears started ringing, he felt a hand on his chest.  
\--  
Arthur rose from the lake to be greeted immediately by the form of Merlin, lying at the side of the lake. He knew, immediately something was wrong and he forced himself to push through the water of the lake, and the drag of his cape and chainmail certainly not helping his speed. When he finally reached Merlin, with water dripping from his hair and his clothing several times heavier than it ever would have been dry, the warlock was unconscious, his left wrist slit open and blood still trickling out. But, he was still alive. Arthur could tell that much.  
“Merlin!” he shouted, grabbing at the boy’s chest and ripping a bit of easy fabric from his shirt. He tied it tight around Merlin’s wrist before lifting the boy up over his shoulder and running up the hill away from the lake. He pushed through the trees and didn’t stop for a moment for fear of his friend’s life.  
“Someone!” he shouted, his boots making marks easy in the loose soil, “I need help!” He arrived to the edge of the woods. It was odd, the way the world looked now. He knew that he had been gone for a long time, but he didn’t quite imagine that this would happen in his absence. The differences, however, were not his priority right now. He shouted, waving at the large metal creatures that ran past. A woman, on the other side of the black rock looked up at him, her gaze moving to Merlin before her eyes went wide and she grabbed something out of her bag and talked fiercely into it.  
“Come over here!” she shouted to him, “I’ve called for an ambulance!” He didn't question the words, just assuming that this was some sort of doctor that could help him and he ran across the rock before checking that no creatures were headed to him. The woman grabbed at Merlin.  
“Come on, lie him down,” she said, “I took first aid in year ten, I might be able to help.” Arthur nodded and placed Merlin down onto the grass at her feet. She looked the boy over. She shrugged.  
“He looks alright,” she mumbled, “you stopped the bleeding quite well, and he doesn't look like he lost a whole lot of blood, just, um, put pressure on the cut.” Arthur grabbed around Merlin’s wrist, pressing down on the fabric that was already there. He nodded at her in thanks.  
A moment later there was a loud noise and one of the metal creatures came up to them, people in bright yellow outfits jumping out if its rear and running over to Merlin with a small cot. They hoisted him up and brought him back to the rear of the creature, pulling him inside. Arthur went to follow them But a man blocked his path into the creature.  
“He’s my friend,” Arthur thought to clarify; the man looked back at the others. One of them nodded shortly, and the man moved out of his way and Arthur jumped up into the creature. The woman who had helped him smiled and waved.  
“I hope he’s okay!” she shouted as the yellow outfitted people closed the latch to the creature. Inside the thing was a small white room that Arthur now sat in, Merlin on a cot in the middle, while the yellow outfitted people wrapped bandages around his wrist. A woman sat next to Arthur, eyeing the king suspiciously.  
“Why’re you dressed like that, then?” she asked after a moment and it dawned on Arthur just how strange he must have looked to them. Probably, he thought, as strange as they looked to him. He thought for a moment of a good excuse, because he simply couldn't risk that he would say something that might make them decide he was crazy or worse, something that would make them take Merlin away from him.  
“It’s a, er, joke, you see,” he said after a minute, “and I went to find Merlin here, to play the joke on him, and, well, he was like this.” Arthur nodded sure of what he said. The woman looked at him oddly.  
“This boy’s name is Merlin,” she asked, almost with a snicker. Arthur nodded, slightly confused.  
“And what’s your name then?” she asked, badly hiding a smirk, “Lancelot?” Arthor squinted and shook his head.  
“No,” he said, “it’s Arthur.” The woman stared at him in doubt, but his face gave no sort of hint of joking at all so she just shook her head.  
“Alright then.” And she said no more, at least for a few minutes. But then she turned to Arthur again.  
“Do you know why he might’ve done this to himself,” she asked, “was he showing any signs of depression? Was there a note?” Arthur looked down, away from the woman’s eyes.  
“We haven’t really, er, seen each other in a while, actually,” he said under his breath. The woman nodded understandingly.  
“Okay, well, he should be fine, the cuts weren’t very deep.” Arthur let out a sight of relief and he just desperately wanted everything to go back to normal. For this to all be over. He closed his eyes and pictured Merlin before, back at the castle, joking to him and such. He found that the memories pained him, because they all came with the knowledge of what would happen next. What was happening now.  
\--  
It was a few hours before Merlin came to, and a few more before he understood what was going on. In the corner of his room, was Arthur. Merlin thought, for a moment, that he was dreaming, or had, perhaps, succeeded in his attempt. Arthur was sleeping, head lolled to his right shoulder and his jaw open, with a small amount of saliva pooling at the corner of his mouth. The red of his uniform created a stark contrast to the white walls and almost hurt Merlin’s eyes. He sighed and his chest hurt, he felt cold and he felt dizzy.  
“Arthur?” he whispered. His lips were dry and sticky from his being unconscious. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the hospital pillow. He could hear the jangle of chainmail and in a blink of a second, Arthur was at his side, grasping his hand.  
“Merlin,” he said sweetly, kneeling at his bed. His tone shocked Merlin only slightly, as it was the sort of tone one would use for someone beloved and he wasn’t ever sure that Arthur had felt that strongly. Especially as Merlin’s memory of the man had faded from his mind. Merlin smiled.  
“You’re back,” he said hoarsely. Arthur nodded, burying his head into the bed, his forehead touching Merlin’s waist and both of his hands grabbing Merlin’s hand.  
“Of course I am,” he said, the words muffled by the bed, “you needed me.”


End file.
